Memphis, TN, December 16, 2005--Hardwood flooring shipments for November 2005 are reported at 44,557,000 square feet, a drop of more than six percent from the previous month, according to NOFMA: The Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association.
The associaton said however that the increase of more than eight percent when compared to the same month in 2004.
NOFMA also dismissed the month-to-month fall off as a quirk in how data is collected, with November a significantly shorter reporting month than October. November’s gain compared to November of 2004 brings year-to-date shipments to 2% better than the pace of 2004, when overall shipments set a 40-year high. November 2004 shipments were reported at 41,241,000 square feet.
Year-to-date shipments for the first 11 months of 2005 are 485,857,000 square feet, more than 10,000,000 higher than the same period in 2004. Hardwood flooring shipments for the past 12 months have totaled 528,515,000 square feet, nearly two percent better than the same 12-month period one year ago.
NOFMA believes the continued healthy pace of shipments in the face of a cooling new home construction market, reflects both consumer preference for wood flooring products and particularly strong new home construction and repair and remodel numbers. The Association says that wood flooring used in residential repair and remodel typically is about three times the amount use in new home construction.
